If you have been charged with a crime in Indiana, your whole future can be at risk. While our system is based on the idea that you must be presumed innocent until proven guilty, the truth is that merely being charged with a crime can cause lasting harm to your reputation. If you are convicted, the harm is much worse. Even after you have paid fines, served your time behind bars and otherwise concluded your sentencing, a criminal conviction can interfere with your personal and professional lives for many years to come.
That’s why reputation management should be an integral part of your criminal defense strategy.
Employment options
One area of your life where a criminal conviction can easily cause damage is in your employment.
It’s common for employers to ask potential new employees if they have a criminal history. Sometimes this comes in the form of asking job applicants to check a box if they have been convicted of a crime. Activists say this practice unfairly penalizes people who have already paid their debts to society and are trying to start new lives. However, in 2017 the Indiana state government took away local governments’ ability to prohibit employers from asking about criminal history. As a result, these questions and criminal background checks are common for jobseekers in Indiana.
Professional licensing and certification boards can also inquire about criminal history, but there are some limits on what they can do with the information. Under state law, these boards cannot revoke or deny a license based solely on the fact that an individual was convicted of a crime. They can, however, consider the facts of the criminal case when deciding whether to grant or renew the license.
Expungement
One way to protect your reputation is through expungement. In this process, eligible people can have their criminal records sealed from the public.
Expungement has many advantages, but it has limitations. The eligibility requirements are strict, and even if you are successful, it doesn’t erase all trace of your criminal history. For instance, if a local news organization published an article about your case, this article may show up when a potential employer or other important person types your name into an Internet search engine.
If you have been charged with a crime, talk to your criminal defense attorney about your options for protecting your reputation.